BREAKING NEWS: Government pledges to fund north west bypass for Northampton

The Government has announced a funding package of nearly £8 million to allow Northampton to build the long-awaited north west bypass.
By The Newsroom
Published 9th Mar 2017, 11:37 GMT
Updated 24th Mar 2017, 11:20 GMT
From left, Chris Heaton-Harris, David Mackintosh and Michael Ellis, agree the 7.93m funding package for a long-awaited bypass in the north of Northampton.From left, Chris Heaton-Harris, David Mackintosh and Michael Ellis, agree the 7.93m funding package for a long-awaited bypass in the north of Northampton.
From left, Chris Heaton-Harris, David Mackintosh and Michael Ellis, agree the 7.93m funding package for a long-awaited bypass in the north of Northampton.

In addition to yesterday's budget announcements, the Secretary of State for Transport has today confirmed £7.93 million of funding for a relief road that will link the A428 Harlestone Road with the A5199 Welford Road.

The scheme, which was originally developed in the early 1990s, aims to ease the existing traffic congestion in the north of the town and provide more road capacity for a swathe of new housing developments, such as Buckton Fields. It is the first step towards completing an eventual orbital route around the town, which would link Harlestone Road to the A43 at an estimated cost of £32 million.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Today's north west bypass announcement will see £7.93 million come from the Government through the Growth Deal fund announced today and the remainder coming from developers' planning sweeteners.

Most Popular
The traffic in Kingsthorpe at peak times will only get worse when new developments are completed. Today's announcement will come as a relief to campaigners.The traffic in Kingsthorpe at peak times will only get worse when new developments are completed. Today's announcement will come as a relief to campaigners.
The traffic in Kingsthorpe at peak times will only get worse when new developments are completed. Today's announcement will come as a relief to campaigners.

The move has been immediately welcomed by county MPs.

MP for Northampton North Michael Ellis said: “Traffic congestion in the north of the town is a major concern to many local residents, especially in the Kingsthorpe area. With the planned developments at Dallington Grange and Buckton Fields this will only get worse, so it is really good news that the Government is investing this money to help improve traffic flow and access in this often congested part of town.”

MP for Daventry Chris Heaton-Harris, said: “Road access in this part of the county has been a growing issue for many years, and the investment announced by the Government today is a big step forward to solving that.

"As we build more houses to accommodate the population of our growing towns it is essential that we have the right infrastructure in place to support that."

The traffic in Kingsthorpe at peak times will only get worse when new developments are completed. Today's announcement will come as a relief to campaigners.The traffic in Kingsthorpe at peak times will only get worse when new developments are completed. Today's announcement will come as a relief to campaigners.
The traffic in Kingsthorpe at peak times will only get worse when new developments are completed. Today's announcement will come as a relief to campaigners.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Government are clearly committed to helping us achieve that in Daventry,

Northampton South MP David Mackintosh said: “With a growing local economy and significant housing development on the west of the town, it is vital that we have a road network capable of supporting our transport needs now and into the future.

"This is a clear sign that the Government understands the challenges we face in terms of growth, and that it supports our town’s ambitions.”

As part of the Government funding announcements, a new "driving emissions centre" will be built at MAHLE Powertrain in Northampton. It will be given a £2.1million grant and create 63 new jobs.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Growth deal will see a total of £59 million given to support schemes across the South East Midlands area.

Chair of regional enterprise partnership SEMLEP, Dr Ann Limb, said: “The receipt of £59 million funding in our area will enable SEMLEP partners to deliver some much-needed and exciting projects.

"This programme of investment will provide necessary infrastructure to deliver more growth, improve skills and productivity."

Related topics:NorthamptonGovernment